The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neil

Fantasy, courage, and friendship themes warm the soul in Katie O’Neil’s graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society. O’Neil pairs her characters perfectly with their tea dragons, as one would pair tea with a morning pastry.

O'Neil initially posted the beginnings of The Tea Dragon Society in a series of online webcomics on her personal Tumblr page. Through crowdfunding, she was able to successfully publish them into a multi-award-winning trilogy through Oni Press. 



Breathtakingly beautiful, with its earth-toned color illustrations and endearing characters, the book follows the main character Greta, a blacksmith learning her family trade. When Greta finds Jasmine, a tea dragon, in need of help from two hungry rogue wolves, she crosses paths with Hesekiel, a wise alumnus of the Tea Dragon Society and owner of Jasmine. Through Hesekiel and his partner, Erick, Greta learns that the tea dragons are fickle if not adorable creatures who can share their memories from the tea brewed from the crown of leaves adorned between their antlers.

Through a blend of teas from Hesekiel’s dragon, Jasmine, and Erick’s Roobios, Greta learns of their extensive past as bounty hunters and the love they have for their dragons, and each other. O’Neil explores LGBTQ themes in her novels, as well as disability and a variety of ethnic representations. This representation is never directly addressed, so it doesn’t feel too forced or woke. As in real life, these are simply the ways characters live their lives.



The only fault with Katie O’Neil’s Tea Dragon Society is that is too short. Readers would be delighted to know that she did thoughtfully include excerpts from the Tea Dragon Handbook, an index of all the Tea Dragons and their personalities at the end of each book. The Tea Dragon Society has also since been made into a card game, in which you care for and obtain points by bonding with your puppyish dragon. 


The Tea Dragon Society is the first in a trilogy of adorable, cozy cottage-core graphic novels. The Tea Dragon Tapestry and The Tea Dragon Festival are the second and third books of the trilogy. 


Art by Katie O'Neil. 

 

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